This invention relates to structures, more particularly to a method for determining the location of the various footings plus an apparatus for the placement of fasteners within the footing.
There has been a tremendous growth in the number of small aircraft now in use throughout the world. The cost of these aircraft has risen dramatically and now represents a considerable capital investment on the part of the aircraft owner. These is a need, therefore, for an economical means of protecting these aircraft from damage due to either the natural elements, vandalism or theft. Hangar facilities at most airports are limited in available space and also quite expensive As a result most small, privately-owned aircraft are tied down in the open on airport aprons where they are highly vulnerable to damage or theft.
The need, therefore, exists for a low-cost, easily constructed hangar for a single aircraft. The desirability of using a prefabricated structure is apparent as a means for satisfying the need for such a low cost, easily constructed hangar. By utilizing a procedure wherein all the members of the hangar are fabricated at a central workshop and shipped to the construction site already cut into the proper lengths ready to be put together, the cost of the hangar may be greatly reduced. This method of construction, however, requires that the holes in the structural members, through which the bolts are inserted, be pre-drilled. This requirement in turn necessitates that the fasteners set within the footing, to which the connecting members are bolted, be located with precise accuracy. Prior attempts to fulfill this need, however, have necessitated the employment of a surveyor, usually at a considerable expense, to lay out a foundation plan of the structure and the grading plan for the surface upon which the structure is to be constructed. This invention eliminates the costly necessity of employing a surveyor for the plotting of the foundation plan for the structure.
Furthermore, the construction of the standard footing has required considerable time and effort in the placement of the fasteners within the footing. The prior methods of setting such fasteners within a footing have failed to provide the accuracy required. Therefore, a need exists for a simple mechanical device that can be utilized to set the fasteners within a footing on a uniform and consistent basis, thereby allowing the use of pre-cut and pre-drilled connecting members to be placed between the footings.